Third times the charm
by theblackeyedwidow
Summary: It's been 5 years since Will and Emma tied the knot. It's been 5 years since Quinn and Santana made it a two time thing and it's been 4 years since Quinn disappeared leaving Santana alone, hurt and confused. And it's been approximately 30 seconds since Santana felt her heart jump into her mouth.
1. Rachel Berry

_A/N - I'm not really in a habit of doing these because actually I find them really annoying so it'll be a short one I promise. Basically I was on Fanfic Hiatus because I couldn't, as hard as I tried, write anything even half decent and I have a terrible habit of hating everything I publish but this is one that I've spent abit more time on, and I've tried to work harder on the detail of the setting. A review would be heavily appreciated to let me know if I am actually doing anything right. Thanks again for your usual ongoing support. _

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The old, squeaking light hanging from the corner of the wall made the old, worn train station a million times less inviting than it was when Santana had brought her ticket from the old man with the twitchy eye behind the four hundred year old desk. The wind was harsh and cold and Santana protectively pulled her parka tighter around her body to keep herself shielded. The only sound was the wheels of her suitcase and someone humming in the near distance, and the experience seemed to get worse every second she was enduring it. The humming didn't make things any less sinister either and she found herself gripping onto her phone almost out of instinct, ready to dial 911 as soon as she needed to. If someone had stopped her right there and then and asked her what exactly it was she was doing, she'd tell you she had absoloutley no idea. She was terrified of going home, seeing everyone again, returning as 'Santana Lopez, destined for greatness, travelled the world and gave up after five minutes'. If she was totally honest, after her little fling with Quinn, she really lost all interest in becoming 'something great', it was all a big hype to impress other people anyway and Santana was done striving for other people's approval. Even the automated voice that echoed destination information out around the station sounded bored, but the dull tone was enough to bring Santana back from her daydream and encourage her to step foot onto the train as it's doors slid open and she then had to scan for spare seats, huffing and sighing every now and again when she realised yet another carriage was full. She was scanning the last carriage, when something caught her eye. A pink suitcase. A smile lit up her face as she saw the petite girl sat reading a paper.

'Well well well, Rachel Berry. Didn't think I'd ever see you again'

The girl holding the paper looked up shocked before throwing herself out of her seat and into Santana's arms.

'Santana!'

Rachel held Santana at arms length and looked her up and down before bringing her back in for a hug.

'You look great'

Santana laughed before breaking the hug. Rachel had a black dress on, tight around her chest and her hips, she was wearing a pair of black louboutins with a red sole. Expensive. Santana knew Rachel had done well for herself, it was pleasing for Santana to see her friend succeed but slightly embarrassing that she had no successes to boast about. Rachel saw Santana look her up and down and smiled shyly.  
'No more plaid dresses I'm afraid, I'm a new woman now'  
The statement was said in a joking tone followed by a flirty wink. Santana felt at ease in her presence. They sat together for the duration of the train ride, comparing stories, Santana confessing how she got bored of travelling alone. It didn't hold the same satisfaction that travelling with someone else did. Rachel told Santana about her role in the Broadway performance of Wicked that was coming up and gave Santana two tickets, just in case Santana had a friend she wanted to bring. The topic of Quinn was avoided for as long as possible but Rachel had to ask.  
'I don't suppose you've heard from Quinn have you?'  
Santana's walls were up and her eyes were filled with sadness.  
'It's been five years Rach, I'm 22 years old. I think it's time to let go.'  
Rachel shook her head and put her hand on Santana's leg.  
'Don't be ridiculous, she still talks about you, all the time. She finally used that train ticket and came to see me and Kurt and the first night she stayed she was sleep talking, and all she ever seemed to say was your name'  
Santana didn't know why, but that made her heart skip a beat and her stomach do flips. She loved the idea of Quinn still wanting her, still needing her. But then she remembered what had happened and all happy memories were forgotten.  
'She left me, alone. Not even a note and she didn't call or text or email. It's like I just didn't exist. That wasn't fair.'  
Rachel opened her mouth to protest but was cut off by the announcement that they were pulling into Lima.  
'Come on Rach, let's just go.'  
The girls got their cases and made their way to the door, but they weren't expecting the greeting that they got.


	2. Can I fix that for you?

_Yet another annoying author note, sorry everyone. This is a relatively long chapter to make up for the fact that I've been having a serious writers block the past few days. I've been struggling for ideas of how to make Santana and Rachel have a relationship that doesn't make everyone root for them rather than her and Quinn who are supposed to be endgame, but if you guys decide you like Rachel better then perhaps a new path may have to be chosen. Sigh. Anyway, Send me some feedback and let me know what you think. _

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Brittany beaming back at them was what the two girls encountered and as Santana stepped off the platform a pair of strong arms enclosed her in their own. She let out a sigh of relief and let her body relax. She'd missed Brittany while she'd been away but after Will and Emma's wedding, spending the night watching Sam's hands creep lower than she liked on her back, she decided it was best for her to take a break from everything, including their friendship. They'd kept in touch though, Brittany begging Santana to come back for her wedding, which explained Santana seeing Rachel on the train. It wasn't as weird as it seemed for the two girls to bump into each other though, as Santana had spent some time with Rachel and Kurt in New York but after a few months of their company and weird soprano singing in the shower, she realised that her corner of the sky just wasn't that city full of big headed, egotistical tossers. So after some deliberation she packed her stuff and said a swift goodbye, leaving them in a cloud of smoke and dust. She then moved onto other areas of the world, realising they too, didn't hold what she wanted or what she needed.

Rachel returned from putting the luggage in the car and beckoned the girls to follow her and get in the back. The Lima taxi service had always left much to be desired, the drivers were usually sleazy and they were never on time, but Santana was actually glad that in the time she'd been away, that element of Lima had stayed the same, since it seemed like nothing else had. Brittany went on to fill the girls in on the car journey about what had happened while they'd been away, she knew they'd both be itching to know why she hadn't moved away like everyone else.  
'I know you're both interested to know why exactly I'm still here but it's an easy enough story to explain'  
Santana nodded at her to continue so she did, with a smile bigger than ever before.  
'After we graduated, Emma fell pregnant with a little baby girl who is now called Ellie'  
Rachel's hand flew through to the hollow of her throat and her eyes filled with tears, Santana just rolled her eyes at her and continued listening.  
'And so the brand new Glee club needed someone to take over, it was desperate times so Sam agreed to do it. I stayed around to help him and slowly but surely I fell in love with him all over again.'  
The last sentence made Santana's breath catch in her throat but she immediately covered it up as a cough and smiled at the bubbly blonde girl in front of her.  
'Then he asked me to help him run the Glee Club, properly full time so that Mr Schuester could spend time at home with Ellie and Emma. It was an easy enough decision and almost as if to follow Glee tradition, he got the kids to help him perform a musical number to me in a really extravagant way before he proposed, and now here we are'  
The excitement in Brittany's tone was enough to rub off onto Rachel and the pair flew into conversation about McKinley and Ellie and all the new kids. How many times have they won? How many losses? Santana wasn't really listening, she was relatively sidetracked with her own thoughts. If the truth be told, she was glad that Brittany had found love in Sam, she was secure and safe and she had everything she needed. It was a pleasant feeling, but still left a slightly bitter taste in her mouth since she always thought she'd be the one getting married first.

The girls spend the rest of the car journey discussing details about the wedding and for the first time in a long time, Santana found herself interested in the conversation. It was only when they got to the topic of Bridesmaids that Santana cut off. She knew before she got on the train that Brittany had asked her _and_ Quinn to be bridesmaids but it was almost like she forgot for a few hours exactly how difficult it would be to see her again.

The car finally stopped outside the gates and Brittany smiled while Rachel and Santana looked on in large amounts of confusion.  
'Britt, these are the school gates?'  
Brittany just nodded before getting out the car and turning round.  
'It's not an engagement party without memories'  
Rachel just sighed before unbuckling her seat belt but her hand was stopped by someone else's.  
'Rachel, what if Quinn is in there?'  
Her eyes were wide with panic and she was squeezing Rachel's hand just tight enough to make it tingle slightly, but Rachel knew exactly what to do. She took Santana's hand in her own before stepping out the car and helping her out, she then rested her hands on either side of her face and smiled.  
'I promise you, that if you don't want to be alone with her, you don't have to be, and I'll stay with you the whole night if I have to but we need to go in there with smiles plastered on our faces for Brittany and Sam because this is their first night of their new life and you'll feel awful if you miss it.'  
She didn't give Santana a chance to say anything, she simply payed the taxi driver and carried the luggage into the waiting reception room. Santana went to pick up her suitcase but as she did the handle snapped and she sighed loudly before kicking it onto the curb in front of her.  
'Of course it's broken, why wouldn't it be. Just my luck, I can't even-'  
'Santana? Would you like some help?'  
The tone of voice was friendly but inquisitive and the sound of her voice made the air swirl around in Santana's throat and burst into butterfly's in her stomach. She couldn't bring her legs to move or her body to turn and she just about managed to choke out the words 'No thank you' before she heard someone approach her from behind.  
'Here, at least let me fix the handle'  
Quinn began fiddling with the handle of Santana's suitcase and then laughed when it clicked back into place, Santana just stood there.  
'See, there you go, told you I could fix it.'  
Santana just shook her head, sadness pooling in her eyes  
'I just didn't think everything could be fixed, we both know some things can't.'  
Quinn said nothing else and they walked to the reception hall in silence, daring a look in their peripheral vision every now and again to make sure the other was still there.


	3. Trinket boxes and lockers

The inside of the reception was different to the way Santana remembered it, the walls were now covered from top to bottom with colored posters, information on how to 'Improve your learning' and 'Stay safe'. There was also a rather prominent stand of leaflets ranging from 'So you think you might be pregnant' to 'So you think you want to do drugs', Santana laughed at the thought of a 'So you got your heart broken' leaflet and Quinn eyed her suspiciously.  
'Just laughing at how much things have changed'  
Quinn nodded and was about to speak when Rachel rounded the corner and nearly crashed into her, managing to regain herself at the last moment to look her up and down before darting her eyes to Santana. Upon noticing her calm facade, Rachel looked back to Quinn and smiled  
'Quinn! What a surprise to see you here'  
Santana couldn't quite see Quinn's expression but she could imagine what Quinn was thinking of saying, Rachel had never been very good at putting on a front and she was surprisingly worse at feigning surprise.  
'Hey Rach, it's really not much of a surprise though is it?'  
Santana could her the tone of Quinn's voice and could near enough predict the trademark smirk that was probably plastered on her face. There was a long awkward silence that made Santana feel increasingly uncomfortable, Rachel just scuffed her feet and Santana was ready to leave but to her quick relief there were a few shouts from the corridor behind them and then Finn appeared with Artie in tow. Quinn and Finn had really clashed since their disagreement at the wedding about how he was treating Rachel. He had said that maybe if she hadn't spent so much time in high school treating Rachel like shit, she might have had some chance to nail her instead. Quinn obviously slapped him, leading Santana to pull Quinn one way and Rachel to pull Finn the other, all the while apologizing to Quinn for his disgusting behavior. The eye contact had made Santana jealous at the time, she'd always thought Rachel was after Quinn but she'd never been more wrong. When they were in New York and Rachel and Santana got drunk together, Rachel confessed that although she always thought Quinn was beautiful she'd actually always had a small thing for Santana and that when they finally became friends, and sang 'So Emotional' together, she realised how much she'd wanted to be friends. This made Santana smile for the first time in a long time and that night she didn't sleep alone. They didn't do anything untoward, they just lay together, enjoying each other's company. That had been the starting point for the bestfriend-ship that they had concocted.

Finn looked straight at Quinn before Rachel and Santana made eye contact and before Santana realised what she was doing, she'd grabbed Rachel by the arm and pulled her into the main hall where everyone was finding their seats. The hall seemed so much larger when it was full of people from school and teachers and Brittany's overly large family. Sam's mum and dad could be seen with his brother and sister, dancing along to the music while Brittany's mum was walking round making sure everyone was okay. Much to the girls relief, the loud chatter covered up their noisy and rather clumsy entrance but Santana didn't dare glance back to see Quinn's expression, instead she focused on Rachel's hand and how it found it's way into her own. Rachel had noticed this and took her hand out of Santana's before smoothing down her dress. 'Thank you so much for helping me escape, I appreciate it and all, But didn't you want to stay there and talk to Quinn?'

Santana just raised her eyebrow at the statement and they both fell about in hysterical laughter when they were interrupted yet again by a familiar voice.  
'Hate to break this up girls but I was wondering if you could perhaps direct me to my locker?'  
Santana looked straight up to see the perfectly formed, porcelain like face of Kurt Hummmel.  
'Kurt!'  
Rachel was already in his arms by the time she'd finished saying his name and Santana smiled warmly at their embrace before tapping him on the nose. He let go of Rachel to wind his arms protectively around Santana, an action which a few years ago would have earned him a slicing jab about his sexuality and possibly a slushee to the face. But things had changed since then and this time Santana let her arms wind round his waist and her head rest comfortably on his chest. They swayed gently together to the music and Rachel walked over to Mike and Tina to congratulate them on their re-union.  
'You okay being here today? What with everything that's happened?'  
Kurt's tone wasn't mocking at all, and Santana could almost hear his voice break as he said it.  
'It's not been easy you know? Seeing her, and knowing how I felt and how she felt and how it doesn't mean anything anymore.'  
He let his head rest on top of hers and hummed a note of agreement. They stood for a while, just gently swaying and when the song changed and Rachel came back, Santana had an idea that she knew would help all three of them.  
'Can we go somewhere?'  
Kurt looked at Rachel before they both nodded, Santana smiled before linking arms with them and leading them into the corridor. After a few minutes of confused walking, they came to Kurt and Rachel's lockers, side by side as always. Kurt looked at Santana and smiled while Rachel had Santana's hand again and had let her fingers drift over the cool locker door with her free hand. Scribbles and indents now graced the once perfect metal and Rachel smiled warmly at the memories made for other students that used it. Kurt too reached out and touched the locker that once belonged to him, the engraving of the 4 letters that brought back a tidal wave of memories that he'd clearly spent so long trying to forget, "KH-BA". Santana watched the intimate moment with jealousy, she had no proof of the love that she once felt for Quinn and she had absoloutley nothing that could bring back the memories that she too, had spend so long forgetting. Rachel tugged on Santana's hand, pulling her further down the hall until they reached the line of three lockers that had more relevance to Santana than anyone else. The unholy trinity's area of the school. Santana's locker was the one in the middle, Brittany's on the left and Quinn's on the right. Rachel smiled at her before walking back to join Kurt at his locker, giving Santana some privacy. She put her hand on either girls lockers and rested her head on her own before she pulled back. The locker creaked open to reveal someone's belongings. A photo of three girls was held to the locker by a magnet, two blonde girls and a brunette. Santana let her hand gently graze the photo when she remembered something. In her second year at McKinley her, Quinn and Brittany had taken a photo on her Polaroid, it was Santana in the middle and the girls kissing her cheek either side. They'd put the photo in a little trinket box with three friendship bracelets that they made that summer and they put it in the top of Santana's locker, in the little compartment they'd made. They vowed that it would stay there and if ever one of them was in trouble or needed reminding how much they loved each other, they'd be allowed to go and get it, as long as they left a note saying when they got it, and why. Santana had completely forgotten about it until that moment. She let her hand rattle around the locker when Rachel, who had been at her locker with Kurt, interrupted her.

'Santana, what on earth are you doing?'  
Santana didn't answer and instead kept rattling the locker wall until it came apart and her hand found a trinket box. A tear rolled down her cheek when she pulled the lid off and saw the bracelets but she felt even more heartbroken when she realised there was a bracelet missing, and a folded piece of paper in it's place.

_'October 17th 2012 - Quinn_

_I've come to get my bracelet. I've come to get it because I need it, because I don't know if I'll ever have another chance to collect it. I need it because I love Santana and I've left her, in her bed, with no note or words or anything. I snuck out because I'm a damn coward, I'm so afraid of loving her. That's not what we do, is it? We fight and we bitch and we back stab and we occasionally make out when we're drunk, we don't love. But at the wedding, which was two weeks ago, we hooked up but it wasn't just a hook up. Neither of us left. She stayed and she took care of me when I cried and she took me home and the last two weeks have been amazing, but I don't think I'd be able to handle things going wrong, so I'm leaving know before I hurt her like I know I will._

_Santana, if you ever read this, it's because you're looking for answers, and we promised we'd only open the box if we needed to. Don't feel like nobody loves you because I promise I do. I promise you, I've never loved anyone more.'_

Santana was on the floor, with the note in her hands, tears streaming down her face, and before she knew what was happening, Rachel had returned her spontaneous favor and had Santana in her arms rocking her backwards and forwards. She then pushed Santana forward and took her hand, letting Kurt wrap her bracelet round her wrist. Rachel never letting go of her hand and when Santana had collected the box and note into her bag, the three of them just stood there for a while, Rachel's head resting on Santana's shoulder and their hands intertwined, Kurt holding her hand on the other side. It was a peaceful moment, one they'd remember forever and one that taught Santana the true meaning of safety.

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_A/N - I feel really strongly about the friendship that has formed between Rachel, Kurt and Santana in the duration of season 4 and I think it's easily my favorite friendship of the season. I think in this fic, the importance of Rachel to Santana will be shown through flashbacks, don't get the wrong idea though. They aren't going to have anything sexual or relationship like, nor are Quinn and Rachel, but I think it's important for Santana to have Rachel and Kurt especially as her safety nets. They will feature a lot more in future chapters. If there's anything that's bugging you or anything you think you'd like to see in the next chapter then leave it in the reviews and i'll see if I can work it in for you._

_As always, thank you for your ongoing support and loyalty to the story. I'm constantly thinking of new ways to evoke emotion in you all and hope that the next few chapters live up to your expectations. This is a completely new fic for me and I'm completely open to suggestion for the plot. Thanks again._


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